The Travels of John Blues
by John C. Blues
Summary: This is a story of the character that bears my pen name. This is my first attempt at fan fiction, creating a very odd crossover that is sure to get even odder should people enjoy, which I hope you do. Currently Stephen King's Dark tower crossed with FFVII
1. Chapter 1

((This is my first attempt at writing a fan fiction, so be gentle. Its a very odd mixture so far of Stephen King's The Dark Tower and Final Fantasy VII, none of which I own, though a guy can wish I suppose.))

John Blues awoke without much thought. He was eighteen years old on that day, and had been living in New York for about a year. His mom had gotten a job downtown in a new company (it seemed like she had been doing that a lot, finding another job that made him move) where she did computer coding. John had given up trying to remember the names of the companies she worked for. He knew it was something like South Central Computations or something like that, but he felt it no longer mattered to keep track. John had been born in Chicago, but he left there shortly after his second birthday. He moved all around the country, every year or so, following the jobs his mother received. Some might wonder why there's no mention of John's father traveling with them. The reason being was that John's father died in Kosovo. He was part of a special ops unit that fell under fire during a mission. His body was never recovered. John's mother had always resented her husband for it, considering the sacrifice far too great a cost for the end. John never seemed to have an opinion on the subject. However, they lived well enough now, but John wouldn't have minded staying still for more than five minutes. He could never get his bearings right, and when he did, he just ended up moving again. He tried to be optimistic and tell himself that this was it, that after this there would be no more moving. Little did John know that Ka was a wheel, and that moving was what Ka had planned.

On September 11th, 2001, John woke up to a message on his cell phone, setting off an alarm at seven A.M. John picked up the phone and listened to his message. Apparently, his mom was working down at the Twin Towers today, and she had left some files on her desk that morning, and she needed him to bring them to her. He looked at his watch. He supposed the sooner this got done, then sooner he could get back to laying around the whole day. John had failed to get into a college he had wanted, and afterwards lost the motivational drive to move forward. All he did was live day to day in some blur, if you called it living that is. He had a job working in a book store in the city, but it was a day off, a day he had proposed to sleep in. His mother seemed to disagree. Well, the sooner he got this done with, the sooner he could get back to sleeping.

He got the files picked up and made his way down to the towers. It was eight fifteen by this time, and he was in a very nonchalant mood. He dropped the papers off at the front desk. "These are for Mrs. Blues, she should be consulting somewhere here," He had said. The woman at the front desk took the files, giving John a look that said that her morning wasn't going good and he had better not be another punk playing some god damned trick. The woman made a phone call and checked to make sure John's mom really was there and working. She was, and after a brief look over through security, her files were on their way. As John turned to walk out, the woman called after him. "Your mom says she has something else for you!" the woman hollered at him. John felt like just walking off, but what the hell, he had nothing better to do right?

The woman listened to Mrs. Blues on the telephone. "She says she needs some files and personal effects from a locker downstairs. The number's 884, and the combo's … 42 … 36 … 13. She says to bring them as soon as quick s o you can get on off to work." John snorted a bit of a laugh at this. His mom really didn't have a clue. Oh well, might as well do it and get it over with so he wouldn't have to hear here complain and bitch to him later. He checked in and got a pass, then followed the directions the receptionist had given him down to the locker room. The clock on the wall of the locker room read 8:40 A.M.

He walked down the rows of lockers, looking for the right one. As he was closing in on it, he felt strange. He could hear something…bells? Yeah, the sound of small bells tinkling. But it was an eerie sound, one that made his skin and flesh crawl and make goose bumps. He made his way to 884, but stopped at 883. There was something in there. He could feel it. He slapped himself, to make sure he was awake. It felt like a dream all of a sudden. Everything seemed very surrealistic. The clock on the wall hit 8:44 as he moved his hand to the lockers handle and opened the door without a key or combo. He kind of knew it would work didn't he? One didn't feel this kind of thing without knowing that it wanted to be seen. The air around him suddenly smelled funny, like it was full of electricity. Inside was an orb. A jet black orb whose insides swam in front of his eyes. Next to it was an old bowling bag, but this was no bowling ball. John could hear the tinkling bells very clear now, coming from the inside of this orb. Suddenly, the orb seemed to look at John, and he could sense panic in its gaze. John could feel the thing was alive in a way. Not sentient, but alive. John reached out and touched the smooth edge of the orb. The clock on the wall hit 8:46:30 AM and John heard a loud bang and crash as he fell into the darkness. He would later sit and wonder if this crash had come from the orb, or from the worst tragedy to ever hit American soil.

John fell through maddening darkness. And those bells, or whatever they were, felt as if they were scraping against his bran like glass. He tried to shut them off, but the sound was coming from inside, not out. He heard other things too. They sounded old. And big. And very bad. They were the sounds of things that existed in this place. They moved around, looking for ways out. John tried to run, but he had lost sense of his body. He simply felt falling and blackness. What had he gotten himself into?

He hit the ground hard. "What the fuck…?" he grunted as he stood up. He realized suddenly that it was very cold. He got up and brushed snow off. He looked around quickly. He seemed to be in New York still, but something was very wrong. He had woken up this morning to a cloudless, sunny day. He looked up now and saw that there was a dark overcast and snow was falling from the sky. "What the fuck?!" he said, this time louder. There wasn't anybody around, though it would have mad little difference, and his swearing went unnoticed. He looked around. He was in Central Park. As he looked around, though, he could tell there was something else wrong. It was the skyline. It took him a while to figure it out, but he realized that the Twin Towers were missing from it. They were completely gone! "How the hell?" he muttered under his chattering teeth. He supposed he had better get something more to wear. He was wearing jeans, but the t-shirt he had on would not protect him for long. He made his way out of the park and down towards were the buildings had been. He stopped by a store on the way that was advertising a sale on heavy jackets. When he tried to pay with his credit card, the machine rejected it, so he paid in cash, using up a great deal of what little he had on him. He would make his way home later to find some more before figuring out what had happened to him.

He marched through the snow which was now piling up. He made a detour towards where the Towers had stood. He stopped as he approached the memorial structure. There was a list of names carved in quartz. He could barely believe his eyes. This was insanity. "How could this happen?" he gasped. He looked through the names. "Ayuh," said an old man next to him. John was startled at the voice. "Been six years now," he said. With the accent it sounded like _Ben six yeahs na._ John couldn't believe his ears. Had he traveled to the future? Could it really be possible? His eyes settled on a name and he felt his heart drop. _Glenda Blues_ it read. Then he felt his blood run to ice at the name next to it. It was his own. "You okay boy?" the old man asked, giving a concerned look," You look like you've seen a ghost." John looked to the man. "I think I am," he said. The old man gave him a bit of a look then hurried off, obviously thinking John was a complete nutcase. Six years, he thought, what did this mean? Could he go back to the apartment? He supposed not. By now the remaining assets were probably distributed among various relatives. He walked aimlessly for a while. For the first time, John felt the need to drink. Heavily. It would not be the last either. But he barely had enough money to get a meal let alone a drink. What was he going to do?

Before he knew it, he was back where he began in Central Park. Fuck, he thought. There in the ground was that black ball. It looked dormant now. He realized that it was the ball that had done this. He thought of what he felt when he found it. Panic, he thought, the ball was panicking. It knew that the towers were going to be hit by something, and it wanted to survive. But now what? Was it content on freezing in the snow?

As if on cue, the ball seemed to awaken. Next to it was that bag that had been lying in the locker with it. _Mid-World Lanes_ the bag read. He slipped the bag over the black orb and the zipped it up. He didn't want to look at it ever again. Suddenly, he smelled something very welcome. It was hot chocolate. His mind warmed just by the smell. He saw a vendor down the way a bit. He walked over and used some of his remaining cash to buy a large cup. The hot liquid refreshed his tired mind. He looked and saw some others in the park. Mainly couples walking hand in hand. One caught his eye. It was a man and a woman and a young boy and his dog. The woman was being pushed by the older man. They looked to be in their thirties or late twenties. The boy seemed to be in his teens. They passed nearby, and as they went next to a trash can, the woman stopped the man pushing her with a gentle squeeze of his hand. They're lovers, he thought. It seemed weird, as John could now see that the woman had no legs, but he wondered more why he cared. He watched as the woman looked into the trash, shook her head a bit, and motioned for them to continue. John watched as they left. He noticed the dog trailing them. "'Ake!" it barked at the boy. John thought of how human it sounded, but let it slip away as he watched them go. _Theirs is done, yours is just beginning._

What was that? It sounded like it came from his head, but almost as if it was from outside. He shook his head as he made his way to the trash can. He rationalized himself by saying he was just going to throw out his now empty cup of hot chocolate. As he dropped the cup in, he noticed something flash at the bottom of the can. A gun.

John didn't know how long he looked at that gun, but he soon felt the orb inside the bag awaken more. It didn't like the gun. Too bad, John thought, reality bites. He reached down and picked it up. He brushed some dead petals off of it. It was old. Older than old. Ancient. It was rusted in many places and dull everywhere else. It was probably the most worthless piece of junk he had ever seen. It was also what the woman had been looking at. He held it up, then quickly put it away. He didn't want to scare anyone. However, a couple walked past him, not noticing a thing. They had to have seen him with the gun. Were they blind?

He brought the gun out again. He looked closer at it. Maybe it wasn't as junked up as he thought it was. He could see some spots at least that weren't rusted through. In fact, now that he looked at it, he figured it could fire. Maybe all it needed was a little cleaning. The orb was working up again. He could begin to hear the bells again. Those mind-wrenching bells. As the bells grew louder, the gun seemed to lose its oldness. It began to lose its rust and dullness and began to shine and take on a lively hue. The gun was coming back to life. What is happening? He wondered, not for the last time. The truth of the matter was that the gun was coming to life because it was needed again. John fell into darkness once more.

The darkness lasted far longer than before, but John felt safer. The gun seemed to be a talisman in the darkness, a source of hope and protection.

This time when he landed though, he was very far away from New York.

John awoke to a bright sun overhead. It took his eyes a moment to adjust. He stood and looked at his surroundings now. He knew immediately he was somewhere far from New York, any place else like it for that matter. The air was cleaner. Much cleaner. The sun seemed brighter too, though he had just come from an overcast city. He was standing in a large hilly plain. It was odd, though. In the distance he could see mountains rising up, without little warning from the flatness. It was like he was out west somewhere, like Colorado or Nevada. He picked up the bowling ball case and looked inside. The orb, or whatever it was, seemed to be dead asleep now. He scanned the horizon. It looked like there was a small town up ahead in the distance. Perhaps he could figure out where he was up there. He slung the bag over his back and went to pick up the gun, but was taken aback. The gun was now polished, gleaming in the sun. the wood, he could now tell, was a hard sandalwood. He picked it up. The weight suddenly felt good, solid. He put t into the pocket of his jacket, just in case.

He continued on his way into towards the town, when he heard something. It was a like a buzzing, but not insectile. John soon placed it as a motorcycle. Wait, he thought, what kind of motorcycle rides on this terrain? His answer soon came as he turned around. There coming at him, was one of the biggest motorcycles he had ever seen. He couldn' make out who the driver was though. All he could make out was a mess of huge spiky blonde hair. John thought it was as good a ride as an. He waved his hands in the air, trying to signal the guy down. "Hey! HEY! Pull over! Can you give me a lift?" he yelled.

But the man went right by, not even slowing down. John watched in a little shock. He had known rudeness, he had been living in New York after all, but how do you leave someone stranded in the middle of nowhere like that? "Oh yeah? Well fuck you too!" he yelled at the man. He decided he might as well continue on towards the town he saw. It seemed as if night was coming on. He didn't want to know what that orb would be like in the night. That ting seemed to like the darkness.

He reached the edge of the town just as night fell. Like he had expected, the black orb began to stir a bit, but it wasn't awake. He wasn't sure what that meant. Was it worn out? Had it thrown them that far from New York?

He read the sign outside of the town. Rocket Town. He had never heard of this place, but then again, there towns past the Mississippi seemed to lose their originality in names. If only he knew how far west of the Mississippi he was.

The town seemed to be almost dead. There were only a few people in the street, and many of the houses looked dark. He went up to one building that had a giant INN sign over its door. He peered inside, but everything was dark. Something about this seemed wrong, but he didn't know why. "Inn's been closed for six months now sonny," a man said behind him. He turned and saw an older man standing behind him. He had coarse blond hair that were in short spikes. In the blond were patches of gray and even white. "Ain't been enough visitors around to keep it goin'. Not since the meteor hit. You a traveler kid?"

John paused for a minute to regain composure. The man had a giant spear on his back. What the hell was up with that? "Uh, yeah. I suppose so," John answered. He really didn't know what he was. Actually, he did, now that he thought about it. "I'm lost."

The man looked at John and shook his head. "Damn kids," he muttered," Well, hitch up yer stuff and come along. Me and the wife'll put you up for the night. Outside ain't a good place to be nowadays after nightfall." John felt a subtle tiredness in the man's voice. "We got some other company round, so you'll probably end up sharin' a room tonight, alright?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," he said. He didn't know if he should be taking this guy's offer up. I mean, do you really accept invitations to houses where people carry around huge spears like that? "Come on step lively!" the men shot at John," It ain't but over the hill so keep up." John ran a bit and caught up with the old man. He watched as a house that clearly was more alive than any other place he had seen since arriving. Most of the windows were lit up and there seemed to be a noise of conversation and laughter drifting from the home. He also saw something else that seemed to take him aback a bit. It was a giant launch pad, like something the space shuttles used. The man must have noticed his stare. "Yeah," he said," Space has always been a hobby of mine. I wanna try and get up there someday. It'd be nice y'know? Seein the satrs and Gaia..." He trailed off, looking at the stars as they walked. John thought of what he said. Gaia? He knew the name was in Greek mythology, he had been a mythology nerd back in the seventh grade, and he wondered if he was one of those new age guys. He didn't seem to be though. He seemed like the guy who'd smoke a pack of Chesterfields while downing a bottle of Wild Turkey. As they approached the house, Cid asked, "So what's yer name kid?"

"John," he said," John Blues."

"Pleasure to meet ya, Johnny B." the mans said," Name's Cid. I'll introduce you to everyone in a minute." They had reached the door and John could smell food and hear light hearted conversation from behind the door. Cid opened the door and brought him into a group he would never forget.

"Come on everybody pipe down! We got a guest here!" he roared over the loud conversation, and everyone but one girl piped down in a hurry. "So I said, sure fine, go ahead, but I'll still steal your material before you…uh…" she noticed everyone else was looking at her, and she quickly became quite. John scanned the room. There were about four in what appeared to be the dining room ,sitting around a table, and one over on the side looking out a window. He also heard what sounded like little kids playing on the floor above them. "This here's John Blues. He's some punk traveler and since the inn's all closed up, he'll be stayin here for the night." He lifted his hand and gave a small wave to the group. All but the man by the window waved back. "Now that one there's the wife, Shera. She'll be makin you some food in a bit and you had better damn well compliment her on it." He pointed to one of the women sitting at the table. She appeared to be the same age as Cid, with dark hair that was beginning to gray. "That there's Yuffie, she's an annoyin little ninja brat from down south in Wutai…" He said as he pointed to the girl that hadn't piped down quick enough. She was dressed in what he guessed was ninja gear, though he hadn't ever thought that ninja's were still around. "That's Barrett…" Cid said as the big black man raised his hand to John. He seemed unusually big, and if John wasn't mistaken, that was a very large gun where his other arm should be. "And then there's Tifa…" he said, pointing to the last member of the group. At the table. John was instantly struck by her. She was very pretty, and very nice in figure. He had to focus to keep his eyes from slipping down. As sexist as it sounded, it was the truth. "And finally over in the corner is the one and only Vincent Valentine." John looked over at the man who was either deaf or in a state of extreme concentration. John guessed the latter since the red-caped man turned quick enough to look at John, then turn away. His eyes scared John a bit. "Well that's it. Why don't you have a seat while I bring yeh somethin to drink."

"Thanks," he took a seat at the edge of the table and looked around. He noticed that there were several bottles of Wild Turkey on a shelf. "So where are you from?" someone asked, drawing his attention back to the group of people at the table. He had wanted them to just ignore him, but that didn't seem like a likely thing now. "Um, for all intents and purposes, New York," he said.

"New what?" the girl, Yuffie, asked confused," Is that like some kind of new town?"

"Are…are you serious?" John asked, but it seemed as if nobody at the table new about New York. All had that same confused face," You know…the big apple, home of the Yankees, uh…Twin Towers, Empire State building, Statue of Liberty?" Yet all was for naught as nobody showed any kind of recognition. He suddenly felt his blood go very cold. "Where am I?" he asked.

"Rocket Town, dear," Shera said.

"Yeah I know that, but I mean, what state?" he asked.

"State?" Tifa asked. John refused to look at her though. That would be a little too much right now.

"Are you telling me I'm not even in the USA? What country then? Where is this?" he asked, a little angrier. He noticed that the man at the window was staring at him intently now.

"Are you delirious or something?" Yuffie asked," You're on the Eastern Continent in the Northern Region."

John felt his head throb. Where was he? Where had that thing sent him? Cid had reentered the room. He was carrying two drinks. One looked like a soda, the other was a full glass of whiskey, presumably for himself. He had stopped in the entry way between the kitchen and dining room. "You alright Johnny?"

"No, I really don't think I am," he said," I've had a very long trip, and a lot of things have happened, and I could really use some sleep."

"Sure thing," Cid said, "Shera?"

"Of course," she said kindly, "This way John."

As he left he heard conversation strike up again. "So did you get Cloud those parts?" he heard Tifa ask.

"Yeah, he got em," Cid answered," I think he's tryin to get back to Radiant Garden…"

John tried to sleep, but it wouldn't come. He heard as one by one, the group downstairs came up to their rooms. Cid had said he would have to share the room, and he was wondering who it would be. He kind of hoped it would be Tifa. That would make his stay here a little more pleasant, that would be for sure. Instead, he heard the door open and in walked the red-caped Vincent Valentine. John felt the orb wake up, and he thought he saw something register on Vincent's face as well. "What's in the bag?" Vincent asked, not taking his eyes off of it.

John bent over and placed it on a small end table. He opened it up and showed it to Vincent. "Interesting…." The man muttered," I felt something was in there. I've seen my fair share of powerful artifacts, and this orb is very powerful. Very sinister in feeling. When did you find it?"

"I found it earlier…" he thought about it a bit," Today I guess."

Vincent looked at it, his dark eyes examining it. The orb began to swirl on the inside, reacting to Vincent's gaze on it.

"Do you know what it is?" he asked.

"Not really," John answered," It's sent me far from home. I don't know why though."

"It seems to be materia, except it isn't. This thing seems to be something more than just materia. It feels like something far more powerful. Wait, do you hear that?"

John did. It was the bells again. He wondered where he would be thrown now? It seemed that whenever those damn bells began to ring, he was thrown even farther from home.

This time, however, something different happened. John went nowhere, although in retrospect he would probably would have chosen that. Vincent was suddenly thrown back against the wall. "Agh!" he yelled in pain," ARGH!" He let out an even more guttural cry that sounded more beast then human. Suddenly, Vincent began to change in front of John's eyes. His face changed into that of a wolf, he grew demon's horns, a thick skin of fur crept over his skin, and he took on the full form of some kind of demonic wolf.. "Heh-Heh-HEEEEELP!" John yelled. Vincent let out a loud cry and lunged at John and the orb. John grabbed it and ducked in time to avoid the wolf Vincent. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the gun. It was probably his only hope. He fired the gun, and the bullet went ricocheting off the wall. :Damn it!" he yelled, realizing that he was probably one of the worst people to use a gun. The wolf turned and lunged again, this time tackling John, pushing them out of the window. As they landed, John rolled away from the wolf, and tried to get away. Suddenly there came the sound of heavy gunfire. He looked back and saw it was Barrett, his large arm-gun blazing. It drew the wolf's attention. "No Barrett!" Tifa yelled at him," Don't kill him! I'll take care of him. Vincent!" The wolf turned towards Tifa and let out a howl and went to attack her. "Vincent stop!" she cried, dodging the attack with ease," what's gotten into you?" The wolf rounded on itself and went o attack her again. This time, Tifa fought back. She weaved through the vicious strikes. She managed her way through the wolf's defenses and gave it several string punches and followed it with a strong kick, launching the wolf back. The wolf grabbed its abdomen in pain. "Yah!" Yuffie cried and threw a rope trap at Vincent. Tifa ran up as the wolf got trapped and gave it final kick in the gut. She stepped back. The wolf glared at her for three seconds, then fell to one knee, then to both, and finally it went down. The beast gave a few labored breaths and finally fell unconscious. Slowly, the beast changed back into the old Vincent. "What the hell happened?" Barrett growled

John went over and picked up the orb. It was asleep now. "This happened. I don't know why, but this thing is the cause of my problems. It's sent me a long way from home, and now recently it turned your friend there into some kind of werewolf!" He looked down at the ball, glaring at it, almost daring it to wake up again.

"What is it?" Tifa asked, walking slowly over to John.

"I don't know," he answered, not looking at her," Evil, I think. Besides that I haven't a clue. Your friend there, Vincent, he said it was like something….materia I think."

"Materia?" Tifa asked quizzically. She bent over his shoulder and looked at the ball. "It's not like any materia I've ever seen, except…" she raised her hand to her mouth,"…Meteor. It was black, like this."

Cid and Barrett were examining Vincent. Meanwhile, Yuffie was off a bit to the side, trying to get a glimpse of the orb. She had heard the magic word. Materia.

"Augh!" Vincent let out a gruff cry," Let go. I'm fine." He pushed Cid and Barrett's hands off and got to his feet. Tifa ran over to him. "Are you alright?" she asked, looking at him, grabbing his arm harshly. He winced a bit. "Yes," he muttered. He seemed to do that a lot. "I'm sorry," Tifa said, almost weeping. John could see from here the small pools of tears forming in her eyes. John had the same feeling he had when he saw the couple in the park, the one with the woman in the wheelchair. It was an odd sense that these two had something strong between them. "Don't be. You did what you had to do," Vincent said, almost smiling. He took her hand off his arm," I'm proud of you." He began to walk over towards John, and John saw as a tear almost made its way past Tifa's eye, but it receded quickly. She kept her feelings in check well.

Vincent stood over the orb. He touched his right chest. "That thing interfered with the Protomateria inside of me. Whatever it is and whatever it's made of, it was able to release the power of Chaos."

"That's putting it mildly," John retorted, not realizing the context. Vincent was quick to correct.

"No, Chaos, a being of destructive power that I harbor inside of me. What you saw was one form it gives me, the Galian Beast," he said.

Cid walked over and patted Vincent on the shoulder," Come on now, Vince. It's time to get everybody back to bed. We'll discuss this in the morning."

Vincent nodded, a bit reluctantly, John noticed. His sense of perception seemed o be keener than usual. Maybe it was just all the adrenaline. He made his way up to the room, but Vincent did not join him. Nobody did. For some reason, it made him feel very alone. He placed the orb down, wishing the thing would not be there when he woke up.


	2. Chapter 2

John awoke to find that his wish had not come true. The ball was still there in its bag, sleeping. He pushed the bag under the bed and went downstairs. Everyone was already up, including a new person. The man seemed familiar. He had a medium build and wore all black clothes, which contrasted his immensely spiky hair. The hair! John realized he had seen this person before. It was the asshole with the motorcycle. "Mornin John!" Cid's voice rang from the kitchen, where the sell of bacon and eggs drifted slowly from," Have a seat. We'll get breakfast on the table soon, and we'll talk then."

John sat down, opposite to the blonde man. Most of the people present said their good mornings to him, save for the blonde and Vincent, though Vincent did give him a nod of acknowledgement. Breakfast soon made its way to the table and Cid and Shera sat down at their respective places. Very little food was touched though, as all eyes seemed drawn back t John. Barrett introduced the blonde man as Cloud, but then Tifa spoke.

"How did you get here?" Tifa asked," You obviously aren't close to being from around here. But trust me, everyone here knows what its like to be far from home like this. We went through an experience not too different from it not too long ago." Cloud turned his head a bit at this. "For a while, we were somewhere completely different. An entirely different universe. That's what's happened to you isn't it?"

John nodded," I guess so. The last time I woke up, I was on planet earth in the year 2001. I was just a regular person. Now…I don't know what I'm doing. I don't even know where I am! And it's all cause of that damn orb." John noticed that Cloud's eyes were now intently staring at him. "Are you saying that thing moved you through time and reality?"

John thought about it. "I suppose you could say that."

Cloud turned his head down again, deep in thought. John thought it made him look really emo, even with the bright blonde hair.

John retold his tale of how he came to be in Rocket Town. The group listened, Vincent speaking after John had finally finished his story and his breakfast. "I've been thinking about the orb and what it did last night. From what you've said, it makes travel through a ind of darkness. That orb must have access to a very powerful darkness, since it was able to break Chaos out of the check the Protomateria. You are dealing with some very black magic here. I think it would be safe for now if nobody…," his gaze turned to Cloud, " …nobody went near it," and then it turned back to the rest of the group.

"Agreed," said Tifa, "Who knows what else that thing could do."

"Well," Barrett said, " There is one person we could go see. Bugenhagen."

"Do you think the old man would know about this?" Tifa asked, "I mean, it's definitely not from our world."

"If anyone would know, he would," Vincent said, "We'll head off tomorrow to go search for him. First thing's first, though. John!"

John looked up suddenly at Vincent. John had been deep in thought. He was thinking of a song, California Dreaming. He didn't know why, but it was going through his head a lot recently. "What?" he asked, "Why don't we go today?" John, after his years of moving around, had been used to leaving somewhere rather quickly.

"You need to learn how to fire a gun," Vincent said, "My mind was clouded, but I still remember how you wielded you pistol. You've never fired a gun before that have you?"

John supposed BB guns didn't count. "No," he muttered a bit.

Barrett stood "I'll teach im!" But Vincent shook his head," You're good with the heavy artillery", Vincent explained, "But John here needs to learn to shoot with precision and power. I'll teach him."

Everyone looked a bit startled at this. Vincent teaching? That was new.

"Meet me outside when you're done eating," he crossed the room to the door, "Cid, if you and Tifa could set up some targets…" and the left.

"Sure," cid said, smoking another cigarette. John looked at the man's aging face. It seemed deep in thought. John thought he should give the damn things up if he wanted to live much longer.

After John had eaten a bit and learned some of the group's story, which was interesting, though confusing, he got p and went to get the gun out of his room. He checked on the orb, which was still sound asleep under his bed. Hopefully it would sleep a little longer.

John went out and met Vincent in the field beyond Cid's house.

Vincent drew his gun, Cerberus, from its holster. John had never seen a handgun like it before, what with its three barrels. "This is Cerberus, my weapon of choice. Three things to remember when shooting a gun. One, do not aim with your hand, aim with your eye. Two, do not shoot with your hand, shoot with your mind. Three, do not kill with your gun, kill with your heart." John thought these were pretty cheesy rules and completely useless, but he kept them in mind. "Alright Tifa! Bring out the targets!"

Suddenly, several small objects zipped by their heads. John looked back and saw Tifa and Cid standing at a control panel. "Watch," he heard Vincent say.

John turned and saw the targets were pretty far away. Fifty yards at least. Vincent lifted his gun with one hand and fired. He shot three shots, and three of the targets fell to the ground. They were seilded, however, and soon propelled themselves into the air again for another beating. "You try."

John picked up the gun and tried to aim it. The gun was heavy, but somehow, felt alright. He was trying to line up the shot when he heard a soft voice. It sounded odd, old and wise, but still with a feeling of youth in it. It was low, and had a small rasp to it, and it was very soft and almost inaudible. _No….no…listen…do not aim with the hand, aim with the eye say thankya…ye forget the face of yer father…_

John opened the eye he had closed and fired. He missed, but not by a lot. "Again," Vincent said. He aimed again, with his eye, then he heard the voice again, far off, _Not with the hand…don't shoot with the hand say thankya…with the mind, shoot with yer mind, and ye'll know the face of yer father…_

He fired, and one of the targets fell down immediately after. Vincent looked at John with a n appraising eye. John looked at the target in disbelief. Then he looked down at the gun. There was something more to this gun than he originally thought. "Again." Vincent said.

All day they practiced, destroying all but two of the targets. Luckily, the bullets in the gun John had were close enough to Cerberus's bullets, so they didn't have to go out to find any. John was so tired he had no idea how he would be able to go anywhere tomorrow. They had practiced shooting, drawing, running and shooting, jumping and shooting, pistol whips, and everything else in between. He laid down onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep. He awoke several hours later to a noise. It was like the soft rustle of leaves or fabric, he wasn't sure. He looked and saw a black figure leap out the hole where his window had been before Vincent had knocked him through it. John saw it in time to realize what they had been doing The person had taken the orb. "No!" he yelled and lept from his bed. He grabbed his gun and fired a shot at the shadow now making its way down the side of the house. The person looked up at the source of the shot with wide eyes. Apparently not expecting a fight. John saw as Tifa ran out the front door. "On the side Tifa!" John yelled to her. Tifa looked around, but she couldn't see who John had shot at. The she heard a small twig snap and her eyes finally caught the figure moving quickly away from the house. She sprinted to keep up. John had run down through the house and out the front door in time to see the figure hand the case off to Cloud, who was waiting by his motorcycle. As soon as the blond had the orb, he took off, leaving the figure in black to face Tifa's wrath. Before she landed a hit, however, the person in black threw off her mask. It was Yuffie. "Tifa! Stop! I'm sorry," she cried, "But he promise-" she was cut off as Tifa slapped her across the head. "Damn it Yuffie!" she yelled. Vincent ran up to her with John, Barrett and Cid by his side.

"What happened?" Vincent asked. Tifa looked to him, then at Yuffie. "She stole the orb and Cloud ran off with it."

John saw Vincent's eyes contract, "The fool…" he said, with a hint of fear in his voice.

John panted, still tired from the day before," H…How are we gonna catch him? Do we have anything?"

The group looked to Cid. But he just shook his head. "Sorry guys. Everythin I had is off on some base or another. Even my ol' Highwind is out for repairs."

"Then we will travel another way," Vincent said.

Vincent gave a out a low whistle and there was a great war in the distance. John looked out and saw a a red blur making its way through the tangles of the nearby field. It made its way towards them, then the thing jumped suddenly and landed before them, It appeared to be a red lion or wildcat. The shock came ot John when it spoke. "You're lucky I was nearby," it said. "Indeed we are Red," replied Vincent.

He gave out another whistle and two heads popped out of the grass. They looked like chickens, sort of, but also like golden canaries. The made their way up to Vincent in a flash. The sparkled with a soft glow. "Wow Vincent," Tifa said, "I knew you were worldly, but never thought you to be an expert Chocobo trainer. Gold, no less"

Vincent leapt onto one. "John, on this one," Vincent said ", Lead the way Red. We'll follow your lead."

"You sure those things can keep up?" Red smirked, "Very well. Come on!" The red lion took off as if the devil was chasing him.

"Yah!" Vincent yelled and hiked the golden chocobo. John's followed the one Vincent was riding and the took off in a dazzle of light. The creatures were amazingly fast. Before John knew it they were coming up to a small river. John braced himself for a jump or falling in, but neither happened. He looked down and saw that the large bird's feet were running on the water! Red maintained a lead though, swimming as fast as he had run.

"Hurry!" Red yelled, "We are gaining." And indeed they were. In the distance, John could hear the insectile buzz of Cloud's bike. The noise began to grow louder and louder as they closed the gap. Suddenly, they burst into a great open field, devoid of obstructions. Ahead, John could see the light from the motorcycle. In the dark, John could barely make out the outline of a low building that the motorcycle was headed for.

"He's going to an old Shinra outpost," Red said, "He must have something there."

They reached the outpost a few minutes after Cloud, who had disappeared into the building. John and Vincent dismounted the chocobos and went inside with Red. Thy made their way into the old outpost, and could hear Cloud inside making some loud noises. Finally, they rounded a corner to behold a very odd looking ship in a large hangar bay. To John, it didn't seem like it was made of metal. Cloud stood there in front of the ship, his sword drawn. "Stay back, all of you," he ordered.

Vincent drew his gun and Red readied himself. John followed their lead and pulled out his gun, and at that moment that his gun was brought out, John ould feel the orb begin to wake up. "Stop this Cloud. It's crazy," Red said.

"Quiet!" Cloud yelled, "You don't understand! If I can get back I can see her! She was alive! I tried to bring her with us but she didn't! If I can get back, I can see her! I can save her!"

Vincent lowered his guard. "Is that what this is about? Aeris? You think this boy's orb will get you back to Radiant Garden? It's been nothing but a curse for him so far and it won't do any better for you."

"You're wrong," Cloud said, "You think you know everything Vincent, but you don't know a damn about this. None of us do. If this thing can get me back to Aeris, I'm willing to go."

"And should you die?" Red asked, "What then?"

"Then I'll still be in a better position than I am now," he said. John was amazed at just how emo this guy was.

Cloud turned and went towards the ship. The orb was almost fully awakened and John could hear the bells begin to ring. Vincent must have heard them too, because he suddenly grasped his chest. "The orb's doing it again, but its weaker," Vincent said, "Maybe we have an advantage."

"Or maybe you aren't the target," Red muttered.

Vincent gave a sudden gasp of recognition and ran forward, but too late. As the doors to the ship opened, there was a blast of blackness. Cloud gave a cry. John Vincent and Red covered themselves against the wave of darkness. When the air cleared and they could see again, They saw Cloud was laying on the ground, breathing shallowly. And standing over him was another. He was tall, dressed in black, with long silvery hair. He wore a long sword on his belt and on his back was one black wing.

"Sephiroth," Vincent said, fear clearly audible in his voice.

The being known as Sephiroth looked at those assembled. "So," he said, "Cloud really couldn't resist." He looked down at cloud.

"Se…Seph…Sephiroth…?" Cloud stammered. Sephiroth chuckled a bit, then reached down and grabbed Cloud by the neck. He lifted Cloud off the floor.

"I told you Cloud. As long as you exist, so do I. It was only a matter of time before you gave me rebirth," Sephiroth said, then threw Cloud across the room, knocking him unconscious. Vincent pointed his gun and Red readied himself. Sephiroth turned to them and took a step forward, but stopped. Something was drawing his attention. E looked around and saw the black orb laying on the ground. "So this is what brought me back." He picked the orb up and looked into it. The orb swam with darkness. Sephiroth smiled. He took one gloved hand and ran it over the face of the orb. Vincent broke the silence that had gathered with several bursts from his gun. They were, unfortunately, for naught, for as soon as they hit Sephiroth they were absorbed and dissolved, spraying only a fine mist of blackness around the entry point, which quickly recovered.

Sephiroth drew his sword and swung it a long horizontal arch, sending a wave of darkness at the three. Red resisted the most and was thrown back last. They were sen flying backwards into the opposing wall .Sephiroth walked towards them. "Hm, no challenge at all." He lifted his sword for another strike when he was cut off by the sound of large gunfire. He turned as bullets flew into him from Barrett's arm-gun.

"Sorry we're late," Barrett said loudly, "It seems we've missed…something…" He stopped as he realized who he had shot at. "No…"

"Well, if it isn't the loud mouth rebel," Sephiroth said, "and who have you brought with you? Another rag-tag team? Think you'll do better than these fools?"

John sat up with some effort and saw as Tifa, Yuffie, and Cid made their way in, startled by the appearence of the dark warrior. It was Cid to break the stillness of their side as Sephiroth made his way towards them. "Well, what the hell are we standin round for? Yah!" He yelled as he rushed in and lunged his spear at Sephiroth. Though rebuffed with a single swing of the sword, sent flying back, it broke everyone out of their paralysis of fear. Yuffie, bent on redemption for her actions, threw her large shuriken with gusto. Barrett let out a torrent of bullets, and Cid went in for another attack. Tifa, however, was busy with a red materia, trying to summon the being associated with it, though she had little experience in summoning. The attacks continued to be largely ineffective. Sephirtoh slashed the shuriken in half as it came towards him and the bullets seemed to do little to no damage. Cid's attack had the worst end. Instead of being rebuffed, Sephiroth allowed to be skewered by the spear. Cid looked up as Sephiroth smiled a cold smile at him. There was a crack, and Cid's spear broke in half. Sephiroth let the orb he had been holding drop with a thud then reached down and grabbed Cid by the neck. "Fool," Sephiroth whispered and began to choke. Tifa, luckily, managed to activate the summon material. The room darkened as thirteen ghostly knights appeared in a circle around Sephiroth. They drew their varied weapons of swords, axes, and hammers, and rushed Sephiroth. John, Vincent and Red finally recovered from their dark blow and got to their feet and witnessed the attack. Sephiroth threw Cid aside, sending him sprawling on the ground. He went to parry and block the incoming attacks. The knights were relentless, attacking with magic as well. Even Sephiroth had trouble keeping up, but the ghosts gave a final lunge at Sephiroth, and were repulsed by a massive wave of dark energy, breaking the summon spell. John went over to check on Cid. For knowing hom for only a little time, John had become attached to the old man. He had been kind in a foreign world, had fed him and given him a place ot stay. John had felt an almost paternal connection. Cid was hurt badly and his breathing was labored. "I'll be alright kid," Cid gasped at John, "Take the bastard down. Take this. I'd meant to use it." Cid dropped a small materia orb in his hand. It glowed white in his hand. "We used it once..." John dragged him to the side as Tifa launched a wave of attacks and Barrett backed her up. Vincent as well released a large amount of fire as Red rushed Sephiroth from behind. Sephiroth parried their blows and swiped at them. John took out his own gun and began to aim. He looked down at Cid's bad condition and felt a strong pang of anger in him. "I do not aim with my hand, I aim with my eye," he muttered, and the small orb glowed brighter as he fired a shot. The bullet flashed white as hot steel as it passed through Sephiroth. Sephiroth gave a cry of pain as he grasped his shoulder. Sephiroth gave a large wave of black-fire, sending Tifa and Red flying. He turned on John and flew towards him, sword readied. Vincent acted on pure instinct. He rushed and grabbed the orb that Sephiroth had dropped. Sephiroth arrived at John and thrust his sword into John's left shoulder. "I do not shoot with my hand, I shoot with my mind," John gasped as he fired again, hitting Sephiroth with another searing bullet in the side. Sephiroth removed his sword and staggered back. He gave another, stronger wave of black energy, which awakened the orb to full conscious. It swirled and felt Vincent holding it. A sudden transformation came over Vincent as Sephiroth began to throw his finishing slash on John. An inner conflict, one Vincent knew well, fired through Vincent's body. He had to allow the darkness, but he had to tame it, as he had before. He focused as he felt the darkness rush him with the sound of small, harsh bells. But he concentrate on the light of the Protomateria. Vincent took on the full form of Chaos, allowing it to consume him, but staying in control of the demon. He rushed Sephiroth, grabbing Sephiroth's arm before it could swing down onto John. "Nuh-uh," he breathed and fired several shots into Sephiroth. "What?" the dark warrior cried as he turned and slashed at Vincent. Vincent dodged and rushed again. Barrett fired another barrage of bullets pushing Sephiroth. Tifa and Red backed with magic, fired several spells. Yuffie threw a large number of smaller shuriken at Sephiroth. John was holding his wound in a large amount of pain. Vincent and Sephiroth fought fiercely, but Vincent gained the upper hand for a brief second thanks to the constant attacks of the others. Vincent grabbed Sephiroth, immobilizing his arms. He turned Sephiroth towards John. "Now John! Take the shot!" Vincent yelled. John looked up in pain. This was it, he supposed. John lifted his gun. Vincent gave Sephiroth a taste of his own power and gave a charged dark shot to Sephiroth's back, propelling Sephiroth towards John, then getting out of the way. Sephiroth turned and looked at John, and for the first time, John saw a sparkle of fear. Sephiroth stared at the boy basked in light. Things seemed to slow down, and Sephiroth could not move fast enough. John heard the far off harsh voice of the man. _I do not aim with my hand…say thankya…I aim with my eye…I do not shoot with my hand…lest ye forget the face of yer father…I shoot with my mind…I do not kill with my gun…_

"I kill with my heart you motherfucker!" John yelled. The orb of materia burst into white light as John pulled the trigger. The gun exploded as light shot from the gun. The light pierced through Sephiroth's head. Sephiroth stood still for a moment, then fell, dissolving into a mist of darkness. Vincent fell to the ground and reverted to normal. The light in the orb died away. Tifa, Yuffie, Red, and Barrett ran to the aid of their fallen friends. Tifa ran to Vincent, but after getting a stern look, he whispered, "They need help more than I do. Help them first. My wounds will be tended to in time." She nodded and went o help Barrett with Cid. Yuffie and Red helped John's wound.

'Not many have survived being pierced by the sword of Sephiroth. You are lucky," Red said. Yuffie took out a small green orb and pressed it to John's wound, but nothing happened. "Something's wrong Red, "she said, concerned. She felt that this was all her fault, which it kind of was. "It isn't healing him."

"Perhaps it is too strong of a wound to be mended with magic. Wrap it. We will tend to him as best we can in time."

Cid stood up, leaning on Barrett for support. "the kid gonna be alright?" cid asked. "We don't know," Red said, not taking his eyes off of John's wound. Yuffie wrapped it, but looked up suddenly. "Cloud!"

Tifa looked around and saw Cloud. He was struggling towards the black orb. She went over and gave him a hard kick, turning him over onto his back. She placed her foot on his throat. "You have a lot of nerve to go after that again after what just happened," She said angrily.

"I…I have to," Cloud said in a strangled voice, "She's alive…Aeris is alive …in radiant Garden…"

"You chose the darkness in your heart over her, remember?" Tifa said, disgusted, "You chose to fight your demons rather than accept life and happiness, and you failed even at that."

"Please…I need to make things…right…" Cloud said.

Tifa lifted her foot off of him and went over to the orb. She picked it up, as it was now asleep, and walked over to John. "You can't Cloud. Not anymore."

Barrett carried John while rd and Vincent brought cloud along. As they exited, they saw it was already mid morning. They had fought for hours.

John felt fuzzy as he woke up in the soft bed. "Where am I? When am I?" he asked drowsily.

"You're safe in bed. It's about 2 o'clock, on November 5th, " a voice said.

"Ugh," he said, "I had the craziest dream. I had found his thing and I was so far-," his vision cleared and he stopped. He saw everyone standing around him, looking down at him. "Never mind," he finished.

"It's alright John, we'll get you home," Tifa said. John tried to sit up but felt a soft pain in his shoulder. He gave a small cry of pain.

"Lay down kid," Cid said, "You're in a bad way."

"What happened?" John asked, "Last thing I remember we were fighting Sephiroth. He was coming towards me, and then…blank."

"You killed him," Red said, "You have shown resolve beyond the hearts of some of the strongest warriors." Now that sounded nothing like John.

"How?" John asked, "All I had was this gun."

"No," Cid said, "The materia I gave ya. It was Holy, strong white magic. Though, I ain't ever seen anyone use it like you did."

"What about Cloud?" John asked.

"Enough for now. You still need your rest," Tifa said, "We'll tell you everything when you're better."

"I'll stay with him and keep an eye on him," Yuffie said.

"You should rest as well Yuffie," Tifa said, "You've kept watch over him for the past three days."

"But-" Yuffie started, meaning to say he was her responsibility, but Barrett lead her out of the room. Red stayed and watched over the boy, thinking.

Everyone waited for John to recover, though it was another week before he got out of bed. They had slowly revealed the origins of Sephiroth and their adventures. John felt greatly intrigued by it. Cloud had apparently been shaken by the death of his loved one, Aeris. There was more to the story, however. At one point, mysterious creatures had invaded their world and they had all been sent to another realm of reality. They spoke of a boy and the battles they faced with giant keys. After one final fight with the creatures, their home had been restored. Cloud had evidently found Aeris in this other reality, on a world called Radiant Garden. But, Tifa said, it wasn't the same Aeris. Almost, but not quite. The only real difference was her name, Aerith, and the fact that she had no memory of the adventures. But Cloud had pursued Sephiroth instead of her, and traveled an uncounted amount of journeys through darkness to find him. But after he returned, he said he had finished his life pursuing death. But he became obsessed with finding a way back to the path he had given up long ago.

When John finally was well enough to take a walk, Red followed him and talked with him. Their conversation turned towards John's orb.

"I think Vincent had it wrong," Red said, "It wasn't pure darkness that the ball conjures. It's something more."

"Like what?" John asked, looking at the crisp morning sky.

"Well, it seems to draw on fate," Red said, "Abad form of fate. As if it brings out the darkest and lonliest part of the life a person follows. You for instance. You are not turned to darkness, and Vincent, on the last time, was able to master the darkness he felt. Chaos was the worst piece of Vincent's life, as was Sephiroth in Cloud. It seems though, that the orb draws off of fate. It seems you are fates to travel, which is why the next time you come in contact with that orb, you'll move on."

John listened with a heavy heart to what Red had said. He had slowly become attached to these characters. But something had happened to him. He felt restless, and the orb had been growing on his mind. He knew he would be leaving soon.

He ate what he thought would be his final meal with the group in silence. He said his goodnights to everyone and told them he would be out for a bit on a walk. The night sky was clear and dazzling with foreign stars. He made his way over to where Vincent had stored the Chocobos. To his surprise, he found that they were saddled with Cid on one. "C'mon kid," he said, "We best not wake everyone, so be quiet. I knew you'd gotten itchy feet for a while, and I suppose I guessed you're plan. But you're gonna need help fixin the damn thing up."

John smiled and nodded in gratitude to the old man. He hopped on the Chocobo and they made their way to the Shinra outpost. Cloud's ship was still there, but Cloud was not. He had taken off a bit ago with his hopes dashed. John wondered if he would ever recover.

John took the bag over to the ship and Cid followed with a toolbox.

"Now what you got here is a material we called Gummi," Cid said, "More elastic and heat absorbent than metal, though to the touch it feels like steel. Plus, we can shape it and make an unlimited amount of new types of parts."

He lead John into the ship and showed him the control panel, cockpit and engine. Cid worked some connections and placed the orb in a small gummi container on the engine.

"If I've hooked this thing up right, it should act like a teleport gummi piece," he explained, "Though I dunno if you'll be able to control it for much time, if at all. But it should take the ship with ya."

The controls were simple enough for anyone who had ever played a simulator, which John had plenty of experience with. John walked out to say goodbye to Cid and found the whole company gathered, sans Cloud. John was moved deeply and felt a tear welling up in his right eye, and failed to suppress it. He had truly become fond of everyone. He said his goodbye to everyone, blushing a bit as he received kisses from Tifa and Yuffie. When he made his way to Vincent and shook his hand, he thanked Vincent for the training and asked something that he had been wondering about. "Where did you learn those lesson things, the ones that I keep thinking about when I shoot?"

"From a scroll I had found deep in the Shinra archive," Vincent said, "I later found out that it had originally belonged to Bugenhagen. When I asked him, he said it was from an old world from people called the Manni. He said it contained the Lessons of a Gunslinger."

John thought about it and nodded. He turned and began to walk to the ship.

"It's funny you should have me think of them," Vincent said, "Bugenhagen said that they could traverse realities, like you claim to have done, and followed something called Ka. Perhaps there is something more to your travel here than meets the eye."

John turned and listened to Vincent, but Vincent shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Or not."

"Hold up a minute kid!" Vincent said and ran over, "This is form me n Shera. She wanted you to have something better than that cheap coat you came here with." He held out a leather coat for John. John took it and thanked Cid sincerely for the jacket. It smelled faintly of tobacco, but not like what he had smelled back home. It was a sweet smell, like summer grass. "So what are you gonna call her?" Cid asked, eyeing John. John looked at the ship and thought about it. "The Gunslinger," John said. Cid nodded and walked back to the group

He gave one last wave and boarded the ship. They all waved back, save for Vincent, which Tifa noticed.

John sat down in the pilot's chair. He looked at a screen showing the orb. It was awake, and John could faintly hear the sound of bells ringing. John watched as everything outside the ship suddenly fell into blackness, and he grasped the chair to hold onto. No matter what he was shielded by, the darkness always seemed to cloister and numb him to himself. He slowly passed from Gaia, and the group watched as the ship faded away from that level of reality.

After the ship had gone, Tifa and Vincent rode the Chocobos back, taking a long scenic route. They stopped at a river bed and they sat, staring at the stars. Tifa looked over to Vincent. "Why didn't you wave goodbye?" she asked.

"Because that wasn't a goodbye," Vincent said, "Bugenhagen told me Ka was a wheel, and everything eventually comes around."


End file.
